Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-11-28
ROVERS OF THE PLAINS.

Shooting Wild Horses IN Austrolia-Tho
steed OF the Fampas-A Question.
Very Young students, in their first at
tempt at composition. often inform US
that the horse is a useful animal This
sweeping generalization is subject to i'm
portant notifications before it is accepted
in all communities. There are many
thousands of horses that toll not like
their noble procenitors. but go like the
wind where il listrth. and are looked
upon as intolerable nuisances in the civ
ilized regions they sometimes invade.
Our Australian friends. for instance. are
no lovers of the horse in his untamed
state. and some Of the colonies set a price
upon his head, and do all they can to
stimulate movements for his destruction.
Seven thousand wild horses were shot in
New South Wales alone in 1878. These
rovers of the plains play the mischief
with domesticated animals when they
come among them, and the colonists are
very much disgustcd 20 observe with
what ease the noble horse relapses into
barbarism. and. forgetting his oats and
other comforts of civilization, runs off
with his wild brethren who have not en-
joyed his superior advantages.
Ii must be confessed that our horses
need the restraints imposed upon them to
prevent them from disgracing their an
cestors. who were certainly domesticated
when they were introduced into this
country. Years ago it used to be the
custom in our southwestern territory to
brand the Young stock. and even many
work animals, and turn them loose TO
shift for themselves for a wear or two.
When thev were wanted they were al
WAYS as wild as Mexican mustangs Mr..
Powell wrote a book on the lest methods
IF tanning wild horses. The specimens
on which he exerted his talents as
tanner were for the most part formerly
domesticated animals. VINO had forgot
ten all about their old restrains while
wandering over the plains of our SOUTH
western territory.
Travellers IN the western territories are
no longer in danger Of such irrup,ion OF
horse flesh as MURRAY describes in his
Travels in North America He not
only witnessed stampede Of thousands
of panic stricken horses, but the living
torrent swept along toward and over his
camp, trampling skins and dried meat
into the ground. knocking down some Of
the tents and taking with them all Lis
horses except his riding mare. who vainiy
struggled to break her fastenings. They
still range, in much smaller herds than
formerly. on the plains of the upper
Colorado: but the wild horse. like the
buffalo. Is disappearing before the ad-
vance of the white man.
In spite Of the experience Of the Aus
traliai.s. many peoples. chiefly savage,
have been able to turn the wild horse to
good account. Hundreds of thousands
Of Mexican mustangs have been reduced
To servitude. The wild horse of the
south American painpls, which three
centuries ago. only fifty years after the
horse was introduced from Europe. had
spread 10 regions rs remote rs Patagonia,
has been tanned by thousands, and has
become the useful servant Of Indian
tribes.
Naturalists often discuss the question
whether there is now in the world such n
creature as an aboriginal. or truly wild
horse. We know very well that the wild
horses of the western hemisphere are all
descendants of 'lomesticated animals.
Where. then. Is the aboriginal wild horse
to be found: The question will probably
never be settled. Mr.. j. H. Steel. who
recently read an interesting paper on
Wild Horses before the Bombay Nat
ural History society, thinks the evidence
is il favor of the existence of the wild
horse III central Asia. Gesner. the grea:
authority on zoology of the Sixteenth
century. was of the same opinion. but the
evidence has often been questioned. and
the assertion cannot positively be made
that the wild horse of the great noun
tam region which the Russians are now
exploring is not himself the descendant of
ancient domesticated animals.
Another question of scientific impCr-
tance as yet unsolved is whether two or
three years run on the rampas would
reJuvenate the average street car plug.
dcveiope the latent savasery of his nat
urc and make wild horse of him. II
the equine liberty and freedom from hu-
man restraint could achieve a miracle Of
such proportions il would be- very inter-
estinS To know it.-New York sun.